Burgeoning filmmaker Axelle Carolyn showed a lyrical, controlled sense of cinema in her 2011 short film debut The Last Post. Now, the sometime actress, model, and author has created another work of gentle, frightening craft in the Halloween Kid.
The short film features a rhyming, Edward Gorey-esque poem (penned by Carolyn) as its script and story: a tale of a poor, put-upon little boy named Henry who feels more akin to the supernatural creatures of his imagination than the cruel, narrow minded adults and children who permeat his world. But of course, Henry might not be as delusional as we think and, come Halloween, he found his only moments of respite amongst other kids, who are in fact, dead!
That’s pretty much it as far as the Halloween Kind’s narrative goes, but like the Last Post, the film is not about story, rather creating a tiny, perfectly realized universe that aims for more sensitivity than shock, more melancholy than morbid. The music is lovely and whimsical, as in the almost Boris Karloff-like narration by legendary Shakespearean dramatic Derek Jacobi.
The Halloween Kid shows even more promise from Carolyn, who with this beautifully sculpted piece of work is one to watch, not just as a ‘horror-filmmaker’, but as a quality director of movies, full stop.
1. The filmmaker Axelle Carolyn is also …
A. a writer
B. a singer
C. a poet
D. a designer
E. an artist
2. The reviewer’s opinion of Axelle Carolyn’s first movie has been … .
A. negative
B. positive
C. doubtful
D. biased
E. unclear
3. According to the reviewer, the Halloween Kid is … .
A. lovely
B. morbid
C. shocking
D. frightening
E. melancholy
4. Who wrote the script and story for the Halloween Kid?
A. Axelle Carolyn
B. Edward Gorey
C. Derek Jacoby
D. Shakespear
E. Henry
5. Based on the text, the film has proven that Axelle Carolyn is … .
A. a popular horror filmmaker
B. a beautiful sculptor
C. a qualified film director
D. a talented model
E. a gifted actress
6. The reviewer says Henry is a boy who people like to … .
A. help
B. visit
C. call
D. love
E. use
7. The creatures that Henry feels more akin to are … .
A. powerful
B. his friends
C. not real
D. dead
E. alive
8. We can conclude that the reviewer thinks the Halloween Kid is … .
A. so-so
B. underrated
C. overrated
D. trustworthy
E. promising
